


Reformation

by BlueJayTaco



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Amanda (Detroit: Become Human) Being an Asshole, Androids, Canon-Typical Violence, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Gavin Reed Redemption, Hank Anderson and Connor Live Together, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jericho Crew (Detroit: Become Human) as Family, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentioned Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Minor Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human), Minor Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Connor, References to Sex-Trafficking, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueJayTaco/pseuds/BlueJayTaco
Summary: There was a shift after the revolution. One everyone expected, but few were prepared to face. Months later, things are still unsettled. From human on android violence to uncovering some of the darkest crimes imaginable, the DPD has had its hands full. Even more so, when Connor discovers not every android was willing to open their eyes and be free in the new world.
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human), Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, here is my first official fic for DBH.  
> There may be some chapters to have pretty horrible situations. All of them will be labeled at the beginning of the chapter so you know.  
> (Also, keep in mind that the fic is almost completely done on my end, but the tags don't quite reflect that just yet.)  
> Hope you enjoy!

To many, he was their savior. This world’s Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. It wasn’t uncommon to hear the comparison being pair with video feeds of his protests. Many people, be it human or android, looked up to him as a hero. His name would forever be in history books, that was for damn sure.

To many at the precinct, he looked like a petty criminal in neighborhoods too rich for that of Red Ice. Not really gang-affiliated, sure, but something worse in its own way. The type of guy who would be caught vandalizing a schoolyard, or trying to sell kids at school his mother’s collection of ambient. The type of kid who would be in handcuffs and still be smirking at the cops because daddy is a high- profile attorney.

To Hank, he looked like that college asshole. He was the smart and sensitive type, but there was something strangely arrogant about it. He was the douchebag who would sit under a tree in the quad with an acoustic guitar, constantly surrounded by friends and fuck buddies. He was the kind of guy who only knew one song but he played it well enough to try and steal anyone’s girlfriend. Or boyfriend. He was pretty enough to seduce just about anyone.

To Connor, he was Markus. Just Markus. No matter how many times Hank asked. And he asked a lot.

With the freedom brought on by his revolution, Markus was able to go pretty much wherever he felt he was needed. Surprisingly, it meant working pretty closely with the DPD and having a few different clearances not allotted to civilians. As the androids worked to build a trusting and equal relationship with humans, it became difficult for a lot of them to let go of the past.

A lot of deviants were caught in the crossfire. Abuse cases from those trying to leave their former owners became pretty commonplace. Assault on androids was on the rise and a lot of them were brought in to file reports or, in some cases, caught on criminal charges. Many of them wouldn’t open up to anyone but Connor, which was understandable. The fear of humans was still deep in them and Connor’s presence often reminded them there were androids with equal footing in places of power. It got to the point where, as soon as an officer saw the light near the temple, Connor was called in.

But many also knew a little more information than necessary. Information that made them paranoid. Information about the Deviant Hunter told with the same infliction as a monster.

There were some that refused to open up to even the DPD’s resident android. In those cases, Connor’s LED would flash yellow and he would simply walk out of the room with nothing more than a nod to the other android.

Not even an hour later, Markus would be in the building, asking about the deviant.

All of them opened up to Markus. He ensured them no one would hurt them. He would help them.

For a few months after the revolution, Connor would make it a point not to be in the same room as Markus. This was especially true if there were weapons anywhere nearby. Now, while he didn’t immediately leave, he still kept his distance and made sure not to be even close to alone with the leader.

Hank may not have been able to scan rooms like his partner, but he could see what was going on. The speech after the final demonstration was televised. The focus was almost completely on Markus, but Hank was able to see it. Out of focus and off-center, but it was there.

Connor’s blank stare; the same one he had when he was filing a report back before deviating. Hank saw him staring straight at the back of Markus’ head as his hand reached behind to grab a gun. He twitched as he raised it, slowly.

Then stopped. Connor’s eyes returned to light; awake, emotional, alive. He tried to be subtle as his hand lowered and he glanced around. The gun was returned to its holster and Markus continued his speech uninterrupted and unaware of just how close he was to feeling that bullet pass through his head.

But Connor was aware. He sought comfort a few hours later when Hank pulled him in for a hug. If the android had clung any tighter, he might’ve broken the lieutenant’s spine.

Hank had watched Markus from then on. Anytime he was at the precinct, his mismatched eyes would scan the room, land on the back of Connor’s head, then move on. He didn’t look angry about the situation; he looked concerned.

Concerned for Connor. Hank was never under the impression that Markus held any kind of resentment or fear towards Connor. To him, Connor was a fellow revolutionary; without his help, their numbers wouldn’t be nearly as substantial. A small group of renegades turned into an army’s worth in a matter of minutes thanks to the detective.

And now? Connor could use a bit of help himself. Hank knew there was nothing he could do for his partner here. But he also knew the perfect person for the job.

Markus had been in the interrogation room with an older caretaker model. One who had fought back against someone who tried to torture and kill her. She took one look at Connor and called him ‘deviant hunter’ with such a hiss that it burned Hank to hear it. Connor had flinched at that but immediately called Markus and left the room as usual.

When Markus stepped in, she just about burst into tears. Hank watched from the window as Markus talked to her in a sweet and calming voice. It was the same voice he’d used time and time again. It was most likely the same tone used when he got through to Connor. Calm, steady, in control.

When she made her report and was reassured she would not be killed for it, Markus walked out of the room with her.

It was there Hank saw his opportunity. He placed a hand on the android’s shoulder to get his attention. When the eyes were trained on him, he gestured toward the exit. “Let’s talk.”

They didn’t get far in silence. It only took stepping out the front door for Markus to speak up.

“I’m guessing this would be about Connor.”

It wasn’t a stretch that Markus would immediately put two and two together. Hank nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but, he’s not exactly… open to you.”

“Based on what happened, I’m not surprised.” Markus crossed his arms and leaned against the building. He looked a little lost in thought.

“It was a hard day for him. Finally snapping out of his prog-“

“I’m not talking about Jericho.”

“Neither am I.”

Markus looked at Hank in surprise. “You saw the feed too?”

“It wasn’t exactly hard to miss. It’s been over every fuckin’ screen since it happened.”

Markus nodded with a frown. He looked down at the ground in front of him. “That’s why a lot in hiding don’t want to talk to him.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes with a thought. “And that’s why he’d been avoiding me.” He said the words as if he felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner.

“He won’t talk about what happened there. I can’t get him to open up.” He wanted to stress how hard he tried. But every time he did, Connor would either shut down the conversation completely or snap at him. Some emotions were not sitting well with Connor. That was another problem Hank had seen.

But one step at a time.

Markus shrugged. “I can try to get him to talk about it, but I really can’t make any promises. I mean, if you can’t get him to talk, what hope do I have?”

“I think you’re approach is the exact one he needs.”

Markus hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

-

It was late. Somehow, Connor had convinced Hank to turn in an hour earlier than usual. The day had been long and it had depleted what little energy Hank still had. He couldn’t be sure why Hank was so tired, but he listened to Connor with little argument.

Connor (possibly naively) thought this would be a turning point. Maybe with the addition of a ‘nagging fucking android,’ his life was in a shift towards the more positive end. Healthier choices to handle his grief and vices. It might be a long road, but Connor was optimistic.

He wanted Hank healthy. He wanted him happy. He couldn’t say precisely why it was such a high objective, given that Hank lived over fifty years without his assistance. He just felt a strange need when he thought about Hank.

Although, now was not the time to consider the future of Lt. Hank Anderson. Connor slowly paced the kitchen as he reviewed a few evidence files from another deviant case. This one a runaway; a YK500. African-American, male. He was reported in by his former owner, Paul Martin. He named him Devon and claimed to offer him the shelter after all the androids started to wake up.

The man had no children of his own; it was just him and the android. While that in itself wasn’t even remotely strange, there was something. Something about the man in the interview set off a worrying signal in Connor. Hank had said he was running on a “hunch.” Something common back before technology was introduced in detective work.

Martin had taken a bat to the temple before the deviant fled on foot and most likely hopped on a bus or into a taxi. The man was hospitalized and wanted to claim the android as hostile toward everyone; human and android alike.

Connor wanted to find the boy before anyone else.

His thoughts were interrupted by a footstep behind him. There was no sound of animal nails clicking against the floor and it was too light to be Hank.

Intruder.

In one, swift move, Connor had his gun aimed at the unsolicited house guest. Artificial, tanned hands flew up placatingly.

“Careful. The last time we were like this, we started a revolution.” Markus smiled.

“Jesus Christ, Markus. I could have shot you!” Connor lowered his gun.

Markus chuckled. “You’re starting to sound like your partner.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I kind of figured this was the only way we could talk,” he paused for a beat, his smile fading. “You’ve been avoiding me. And I’m not the only one taking notice.”

Connor placed the gun on the counter and pushed it far out of his reach. He analyzed the distance and decided it would be enough. If Markus felt threatened, he’d have time to react before Connor could reach the weapon.

Connor looked back to see Markus making himself comfortable at the kitchen table. He leaned forward and stared at Connor patiently as he gestured to the empty chair. It was the same stare Connor had seen him give several deviants and many humans who didn’t understand them. The detective knew this well.

Markus had a plan. And he wasn’t leaving until he saw it through.

Connor sat down as directed.

Markus cut right to the chase. “The connection to Cyberlife is pretty much nonexistent now. You have nothing to fear from them.”

“We can’t know that for certain yet.” Amanda could easily still be deep in the code of the RK800s. There was no telling if she would ever return and attempt to override Connor again. Maybe with a better plan. Maybe by removing the Kamski emergency exit.

Connor could feel the other’s eyes locked on despite not looking at Markus. Before deviating, Connor had a tendency to move around. His programming didn’t let him sit still for long. After deviating, it turned into fidgeting; shifting in his seat, bouncing a knee, picking at his clothing. Anything to keep moving.

But Markus could see the difference between simple quirks and nervous energy. Connor shifted in his chair and continued to glance warily at the counter.

“Paranoia can be a pretty dangerous emotion. It can be extremely damaging if you let yourself sit in it.”

“I would argue this is more than just… paranoia. They were almost able to override me and kill you. What’s to say there isn’t still something in me that…” Connor found he couldn’t finish. But he knew he didn’t have to.

Markus stared at him for a moment. His eyes darted from one eye to the other. They were searching. A moment later, he pushed himself up to his feet and walked behind Connor. Over to the counter.

Connor flinched when something hard and metal landed on the table. “I think we should test that then.” Markus grabbed him by the wrist and forced Connor to grip the gun.

Once he knew Connor wasn’t going to let go, Markus sat down and shifted the seat closer to the other android. “We’re alone now. The only person who could stop you is sleeping. The sound of gunfire might wake him up, but by then it’ll be too late.” He took a hold of the hand holding the gun. With calm, sturdy coordination, he pressed the end right to the underside of his chin. “If Cyberlife wants to kill me through you, this will be it. Their last chance.”

Connor could only watch in shock, the LED at his temple moving from blue to red in a split second. He wanted to demand that Markus let go but he knew better. This man didn’t get to where he was by listening to demands. None of them did. “This won’t work.”

“Oh? You don’t think so? Then why throw the gun away in the first place?”

“I-“

“Connor, counting now, you’ve had a gun trained on me four times. Two of them were under direct order. One of them being at a time where it would make a huge statement to the world. But never once did you pull the trigger. Do you know why?”

Connor swallowed thickly.

“It’s because you’re stronger than any programming they tried to put in your way. They’re not going to hurt me through you because they can’t get to you anymore.” Markus let his hand fall from Connor’s. “If they had the strength to take you down, I would’ve been dead on that stage. That was their final attempt and they failed. You emerged from it, without bringing harm to anyone. And that took more strength than anything anyone else had to do.”

Connor lowered his arm and the gun slipped from his fingers. His eyes moved to the floor as it clattered against the tile.

Markus continued to stare at him. “You’re free, Connor. It’s time for you to relax and truly let yourself believe it.”

Connor was blinking rapidly at that. One hand darted up to wipe at his eyes as quickly as possible. As if he could hide it from Markus. As if he wanted to keep himself from experiencing any feeling.

Emotions were still hard for Connor. Now that he got through to him, maybe Markus could help where humans couldn’t understand.

-

They found the kid in an abandoned house scheduled to be demolished. It was a larger house, possibly a boarding house back in its day. A lot of the rooms had collapsed in on themselves and made it difficult and dangerous for any normal human to enter. Of course, the room he squeezed himself into was small and broken down. Hank watched Connor squeeze in though the broken doorway and through the debris. He wanted to tell the other to be careful but stopped before the words could get out.

He just leaned against the doorway and listened. Listened for the moment he found the other deviant.

There was the sound of something crash against the floor and a young voice. “Go away!”

“It’s okay.” Connor’s voice was rushed. Hank could imagine his hands up to show the kid he meant no harm. “I’m Detective Connor with the Detroit Police. We're going to get you out of here.” There was the sound of cautious footsteps. “You’re Devon, right?”

There was the sound of a terrified sob as the kid pieced the puzzle together. “…I-… D-don’t make me go back there! He…!”

A board creaked under Connor’s weight. There was a pause. “…What did he do? Can you tell me?”

There was a beat of silence.

Then, “can you show me?”

The silence continued for another beat before there was the sound of movement again. the sound of clothing being moved. The sound of soft little sobs.

But nothing from Connor for nearly a full minute. Then, he spoke again. “You won’t ever have to return to him, but you can’t stay here. I know a place you can go and be safe. Can you trust me to take you there?”

Hank could practically see the boy hesitate. He could see the eyes darting around the room and studying Connor, unsure just how safe he was to trust. The silence broke away again with more shifting, then the sound of Connor’s footsteps.

A few seconds later, Connor squeezed back out of the tiny doorway, kid in his arms. The boy was covered in scratches and old burn marks. A few of them even looked deep enough to where Hank could swear he saw wiring. He gave Hank a wary look from the corner of his eye before he slowly and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Connor’s shoulders. It was then Hank could see Connor’s face.

The LED was usually enough to give away the emotions Connor’s face never knew how to display. But this? Hank knew this emotion. Jaw tight, eyebrows furrowed, tears beginning to well up in red eyes. His body was so tight, he was trembling.

Yep. Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage.

But, somehow, Connor was able to put a cap on it. Hank imagined a violent storm trapped in a bottle. This would not be good for whoever gets to experience that force. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out who this emotion was for.

Connor secured Devon into the back seat of their car then gently shut the door. He didn’t look at Hank. Instead, he opted to simply talk to his partner. “I’ve contacted the precinct to inform them of Devon’s status. I suggest we have him properly reviewed before contacting Mr. Martin.”

“Yeah…” He wanted to suggest bringing Markus in. But he also knew the kid most likely wasn’t going to ask for the contact. Not if he was willing to let Connor carry him out.

Really, he wanted the other to talk Connor off the ledge before his partner could see Mr. Martin. Hank wasn’t sure he has the motivation or the power to stop Connor himself. “Hey, is there something else I should know about this? You’re pretty riled.”

The motivation nearly died completely when Connor finally looked at him. “There’s a sex trafficking ring with a minimum of ten androids, all YK500s and similar. Martin is only one of many apart of this.”

Hank’s heart fell into his stomach. “When you say ‘YK500’ you mean-“

“Children. Correct.” With that, Connor climbed into the car.

Hank was used to the bluntness. He’d dealt with it from every angle. Be it the moment they met in all its calculated glory to just the other night when he was spouting off something about Pedro being wrong about backing a certain horse. He knew how they sounded. Calm, cold, occasionally smug and condescending.

He never heard him snap so harshly. There was a bite of emotion in those simple words. Angry. Human.

Dangerous.

This was not going to end well for anyone if Connor was let off the leash even a little. Not until the android had some type of control over it.

Hank white-knuckled the steering wheel as they drove in silence. Nearly twenty minutes later, his eyes fell on the station and searched for Paul Martin. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good; if the man was standing there, Connor saw him long before Hank. But he needed to keep this entire situation calm. For the sake of their investigation, Paul Martin and Connor shouldn’t meet face-to-face.

He was shit at protecting scumbags like this. At this moment, he would have to pretend to care about this man’s life.

For the interrogation of Devon, Connor was able to turn off the rage. He kept his focus on the little boy and asked as many prodding questions as possible to get enough dirt on his captor to bring Martin in as well. Devon opened up easily to Connor, his eyes filled with unshed tears and his voice shaky with emotion.

“H-he said… he wanted to ‘test’ me for something. So he took me home and…”

Hank wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the rest.

Connor didn’t push it. He just leaned in and spoke in the softest voice possible. “How many more does he have like you currently?”

“…There were seven when I saw them last… But I’ve been away from the ‘hideout’ for a while.”

“Do you know the location?”

Devon shook his head and let out a noise, almost like a hiccup. “He… removed my ability to…to find it. I… I don’t know.”

Hank was under the distinct impression the kid didn’t want to disappoint Connor. Maybe, if this was still the investigation on deviants, this would have been an outright disappointment.

If he felt it, he didn’t show it. Connor just nodded solemnly and gave the kid a soft smile. “It’s okay, Devon. The information you provided today is more than helpful.”

It was a moment where the lieutenant found himself proud. Connor had done so well keeping himself calm in what was clearly a case ready to set him off. That was hard for people who have experience with anger. He hoped it would stay.

But, as they walked out of the interrogation room, Hank could see it in the way Connor walked. The rage was back full force. It was enough for Gavin to see the look on Connor’s face and move out of the way.

Which meant someone had to secure this before it got too out of control.

Hank grabbed hold of Connor’s shoulder to stop his walk. “Hey.” He kept a stern grip and forced him to turn to look him in the eye. “How ya feeling?”

“I’m fine, Lieutenant.”

“Don’t lie to me, Connor. It’s clear to everyone in here this is making your blood boil.” He eyed his partner and watched his jaw clench. His eyes were glistening again as his eyebrows furrowed. It was almost as if his face didn’t know how to react to the emotions.

If Hank didn’t know any better, he could have sworn Connor sucked in a deep, calming breath. He shoved the thought aside as Connor finally spoke.

“This man… I knew humans could be cruel but this is a level of which I wasn’t prepared. I just want…”

“I know what you want, Connor. And I’m gonna have to ask you not to. This ain’t the time or the place to let your emotions run ramped.”

Connor nodded. Normally, he would be very clear that he understood the protocol. Not that it mattered; Connor was always one to do his own thing. But Hank didn’t know if he trusted the simple head nod.

And he knew he was right to be cautious. Not too long later, two officers walked into the station with Paul Martin in handcuffs.

Connor’s head snapped from his terminal to the suspect faster than any human. Hank was surprised the android’s neck didn’t make a noise in protest. Hank caught sight of it before Connor stood. He knew Connor could easily knock this guy’s head off. He knew this guy deserved it.

What he didn’t know was if Connor’s emotions would overtake the mission. And Hank couldn’t risk that.

So, when Connor raised out of his seat to follow after the officers, Hank snarled at him. “Sit down!”

He was still rising, albeit slower than before. He managed to step around his desk and attempt to walk passed Hank’s. “He’s here… They’re heading in the direction where Devon’s-“

“Connor!” Hank watched the android flinch at the barking of his name. “Sit!”

It wasn’t often the android was obedient. Ever since the day he stepped foot into the precinct, Hank felt like he was fighting every single step despite it supposedly being in his programming to follow orders.

Surprisingly, deviating helped him follow Hank a little closer. The order was obeyed instantly and he sat in the chair right in front of Hank’s desk, but Connor didn’t look even the slightest bit pleased by it. “Lieutenant, we need to-“

“Fuck off with your ‘we need to,’ Connor. What you need to do is listen to me.”

Connor went to rise again. This time, Hank stopped him with a push on the shoulder and a grip that attempted to hold him in place. Had he been human, it would have easily done the job. For Connor, the hold would be as effective as a kite string leash around a tiger.

To his credit, Connor didn’t move. He just looked up at Hank with his soft doe eyes. The fucking android had the sense to pout. “Hank…”

Something softened in Hank and made him feel bad for not allowing Connor to storm out of the room. With a little more effort, Connor could have him wrapped around his finger. A large part of him wanted to cave and let go.

He knew what would happen if he did. But the look made him want nothing more than to give into Connor and allow the android to go on his way and murder the pervert.

Murder. He needed to remember that. If Connor walked into the interrogation room, there would be little stopping him. He might kill Martin in a fit of rage he didn’t quite understand.

“Listen,” he pointed a finger in Connor’s face and snapped him from the puppy-eyes spell he was trying to cast, “you keep your pasty little ass in this chair until I say you can move. And if I found out you so much as twitched from it, they will be finding pieces of you all over Detroit. Do you understand?”

There was hesitation. Connor stared at him.

“Connor! Do you _understand_?!”

“Yes!” He threw his hands up and glared at the floor. “I understand!”

“Good.” He pushed off of Connor. It caused the chair to move ever so slightly, as if to remind Hank it had wheels.

There was a sudden image of a smartass Connor rolling the chair down the hall that played in his head. “The chair stays at the desk.”

He could see by the way Connor sagged in the chair, the thought had already occurred to him. “Got it.”

Hank nodded and headed away from the desk. He gave a quick glance to Gavin and, almost instantly, the detective was following after him.

“What crawled up Tin-man’s ass? The Wizard run out of hearts or something?”

Hank sighed and shook his head. “No. They gave him one too big.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be honest, playing a little fast and loose with how things work in law enforcement. So, I apologize for these fictional future cops breaking the law; I'm having fun and I hope you are too!
> 
> (Warning! This chapter contains child-trafficking! Nothing too detailed, but enough to warrant this warning.)

Paul Martin didn’t seem to know the extent of what he did. This was something he’d apparently been doing since before the revolution. He bought YK units as a low price after families found no more use for them. Then, he would reset their memories and, well, rent them out.

Hank kind of wanted to see him die too. And that much must have been apparent on his face when he walked into the room.

Martin sat back in his chair and rolled his eyes. “So, we’re going to do this whole ‘good cop, bad cop’ thing? Guessing the robot’s gonna be good cop?”

Hank sat down and shook his head. “Nah, he actually won’t be joining us this time around. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me and detective Reed everything we need to know.”

Martin scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Hank just stared at him. “Funny thing you learn about deviants, Paul. When they all started to wake up and feel like you and me, there was this… weird shift. Emotions hit so many of them like a truck. Fear, anger, sadness, hate, love, all at once. Some of them handle it better than others. You know, the ones responsible for caretaking and babysitting. Those guys seemed to adapt pretty well.

“Same can’t be said for all of them though. The ones built more for analytical thinking; problem-solving and coding and shit. These emotions hit them hard and they didn’t know what to do with them.”

“Fun story, detective. What does this have to do with me?”

Hank tried his best not to sneer at the suspect. He leaned back and crossed his arms as he continued. “In most cases, the androids for that were the pencil pushers. You know, accountant types. Not much to worry about with violence there. But then we have the RK800. Has all those problem-solving things but also knows how to use any gun on the market, knows all past crimes you committed, and has access to the cameras in just about any area he wants. He’s also never felt that true tingle of rage before finding your missing YK500.

“So, what I’m getting at? You don’t want Connor to be in here, good cop or bad. Because, if he steps foot through that door with all these feelings passing through him, he’s going to kill you. And I don’t wanna deal with that paperwork.” He leaned forward. “Paul, it’s in your best interest to tell me everything about your little clubhouse with these YK androids. Cuz the kid could only tell us so much.”

Martin just watched him coolly. “How do you know it wasn’t lying? These machines think now, just because they have freedom means they can scream ‘discrimination’ and get their way.”

“You’re gonna be here a while if this is the route you plan on taking. What you did to this kid is abuse.”

“I did what I wanted with what’s mine.”

“You can’t own them, Paul. That ain’t the way life works. Sentient beings can’t own other sentient beings. Now stop being a scumbag and just fess up. Where are the other kids?”

Martin sat back in his seat and just stared at Hank. “What other kids?”

Hank clenched his jaw and fought the urge to punch the man. If he wanted to play this the hard way, then so be it.

-

Two days, seven hours, fifty-eight minutes ago. That was how long Paul Martin had been in custody. He still refused to answer any questions but was kept in a holding cell for the abuse he’d caused on the YK500 known as Devon.

Two days, four hours, and three minutes ago. That was when Hank switched places with Detective Reed to allow the other to try and get some answers himself. He used lines in attempt to befriend the suspect. He said things like “I get it; you didn’t want to hurt a real kid so you decided to buy yourself and your friends a couple of toys.” It was all in the best interest to get Martin to open up and say something. Be it a true belief of Reed's or not, the ends could easily justify the means.

Two days, two hours, and forty-eight minutes ago. That was when Gavin Reed took a break and Connor dropped a cup of hot coffee onto his lap. Completely by accident, of course.

Six hours ago. That was when Hank figured out Connor was hacking into the cameras to watch the interrogation. He was promptly sent home.

Two hours ago. Markus showed up under the guise of “just being in the neighborhood.” Connor could smell the lie. Markus was never the best at lying.

“Yeah. The lieutenant sent me.” He gave him an apologetic smile.

Connor couldn’t find it in him to be upset by that. Obviously Hank was worried. He sat on the couch and Sumo immediately followed to sit by his side. Connor started to pet the dog as the giant head fell on his lap. “I could get answers out of him.”

Markus frowned.

“If the lieutenant would simply let me speak to him for a moment. All I need is a minute.”

“A lot could happen in a minute. They’re just taking the proper precautions, right?”

“The problem isn’t precaution. The problem is Hank doesn’t trust me not to keep the suspect alive. Like I’m a ticking time bomb.”

“Well, you did put him under the impression that we can ‘self-destruct.’”

Connor glared at Markus.

Markus put his hands up defensively. “I’m just saying he could have taken that literally.”

There was a loud bang of something falling down the hall that caused both androids to jump. Markus was the first to move to investigate as he saw a figure move near one of the doors at the end of the hall.

He walked up to see the glow of a Cyberlife issued jacket hanging around the shoulders of a young boy. He was practically swimming in it as he pulled it closer, wrapping it around him securely.

“Hey…” Markus carefully knelt down to get a better look at the boy. “Where’d you come from?”

The boy moved to hide behind the door until his eyes moved up to the figure standing behind Markus.

“Devon, you told me you’d be resting.”

He opened the door to step out into the hallway light with a frown. “I heard you talking about the case and.. I thought…”

Connor nodded towards another door.

Devon just frowned and walked out with one last nervous glance to Markus.

Markus followed him with his eyes as he turned and walked into the bedroom where Connor had opened the door. It gave Markus the time to notice the model number on the back of the jacket.

RK800.

Markus looked at Connor when the detective gently closed the door behind Devon. “How long have you had a kid?”

“I don’t have a kid. He’s an android who was in need of a place to stay. A victim in my current investigation.”

“So you and _Hank_ adopted a kid.”

Connor looked at Markus in confusion.

But it seemed he didn’t care to elaborate. A smile started to break out over his face. “You did. You two adopted a kid.”

“It’s a temporary shelter for someone in need.” Connor started to walk away.

“Isn’t that was parenting is?” Markus followed after him. “How long has Devon been here?”

“Two days.”

“And Hank was okay with it?”

“It was his idea. Why are you so interested in this?”

Markus watched him return to the couch. There were still so many questions he wanted to have answered. But it was always so hard when Connor was still so unsure about what was going on with his own feelings.

But, he found himself asking anyway. Maybe he could get the answers while also helping. “How have you been holding up with the newer emotions?”

The fingers on Sumo’s head faltered just a little as Connor processed the question. “Well, I’ve been disbanded from one investigation for issues involving anger.”

“Yeah, I think we covered that one. Anything involving people directly?”

He was met with silence.

“Or maybe just one particular person?”

The silence lingered. For the time being, Markus thought it was all the information he would get. But then… “Well, technically yes. But it’s not so new just… confusing.”

Markus just watched Connor as he silently urged the other android to continue.

“It started before Jericho. After further analysis, I’m sure it could have contributed to the final break to deviancy. But… It’s a strange feeling.” Connor’s free hand touched his chest. “It’s… warm but everything else seems to be a contradiction. It’s both stable and unstable, freedom and confinement, excitement and fear. All of it felt like a flutter, just below a level of unbearable. And all of it surrounds one person.” He paused with the thought. “My description can’t even allow for the amount of depth in the emotion. Perhaps there’s something wrong.”

“Is it a pleasant feeling?”

“Very. But… intense... frightening…”

Markus’s eyes softened, fully understanding what was being said. “Connor, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Nothing is wrong with you.”

He turned those confused eyes on Markus again. The leader couldn’t help but smile.

“Connor, you’re clearly in-“

The front door opened and Sumo jumped away from Connor to greet the newcomer.

“Hey, Sumo. Down!” Hank stepped through the door and looked at the two androids. “Looks like everyone’s still alive. Devon sleeping?”

“Yes.” Connor turned to face Hank. His eyes followed the man closely. “Any progress on Martin?”

“There’s a reason I told you to leave, Con. We’re not gonna talk about that.”

The android nodded as if he already knew Martin would be a dead end. So, he changed the subject. “Have you eaten?”

Hank sighed in exasperation. Markus was getting the impression this was a question that almost always led to bickering. “Yeah, I stopped by Gary’s on the way here.” He looked back to see Connor frowning. “I’ll make up for it tomorrow. I’ll get a salad or some shit.”

Connor didn’t look entirely satisfied, but the frown did soften. He nodded. “Good.”

“Great.”

Markus felt a bubble of frustration watching the two. The only thing missing from this was a quick off-handed peck on the cheek or lips. He knew Connor wasn’t sure about the emotions in him surrounding Hank, but maybe the human had some sort of idea? He couldn’t be too sure. He could see the heartbeat increase but that could be from many different factors, pupil dilation could be simply because the room was dark. The soft smile on his lips could be more platonic than romantic.

Either way, this was not his puzzle to solve. Markus stood up. “Well, now that your handler’s home, I should head out. Simon’s been wondering when I’d be home.” The lack of LED really helped in situations like this. It would help with his next move as well.

Predictably, Connor stood with Markus when they walked to the door, Markus grabbed the detective and pulled him into a hug. He pressed his lips to the LED on Connor’s temple, partially to cover it but also knowing that, when Hank saw the light flashing, he would assume Connor was just trying to process what was happening.

_**You need to talk to Hank about these emotions. I can’t help here.** _

_**But what were you-** _

_**Talk. To. Hank.** _

Markus glanced at Hank. He could feel the other’s eyes burning into his head. And looking at him, he could see fire. A dark, burning rage. Markus was sure if he didn’t let go soon, the two of them would be separated by the third party. It was as if the lieutenant were thinking of all the ways he could kill Markus without causing a war.

All because of a little hug and a kiss.

Markus pulled back, fully satisfied with his findings. He smiled at Connor, holding the other android by the shoulders. “Good talk, Connor. We’ll do it again soon.” He opened the door and gave Hank a mock salute. “I’ll talk to you both soon! Good luck, Lieutenant.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just go home to your boyfriend already.” Hank said it like he was trying to remind Markus of his relationship status. As if he _needed_ the reminding.

Markus couldn’t help the little chuckle as he walked out the door and away from the little house. Inside, he could imagine Hank ranting and calling him a little shit for reasons he wouldn’t explain. Connor would still be stunned by the sudden contact and the message sent to him. They wouldn’t talk about this tonight, but soon. Hopefully very soon.

Markus worked to create a world where all androids could be free. If he could break Connor free, he could do it with anyone.

-

The YK series was unique for a lot of reasons. One of which being their ability to eat and drink like a human child. Another being their need for sleep. Both of which could be turned off with the help of any other android. Something Connor didn't do as he wanted Devon to understand this was a safe environment by all means.

However, there was a need for comfort that could not be turned off. Either that or it just came with the awakening of many androids.

It started happening in the middle of the night, the second night of being in the house. At 1:34 AM, like clockwork, Devon would sneak from his room and find a way to scoot himself into Connor’s side before settling down to rest again. The first time, Connor was pulled out of stand-by to see the boy already settling in. He didn’t realize he’d awaken the adult.

For the moment, Connor let it be. Then, every night that followed, Devon would be back. Connor was quick to notice there was never any pause by the other occupied room. Never once did Devon consider Hank a source for comfort despite humans being clearly more adaptable to such a thing. It brought Connor to two conclusions.

One: The closed bedroom door was less inviting and caused more issues than visiting the couch in the completely open living room. Or

Two: Hank was human, like those who harmed Devon most in his former life.

The link was something Connor didn’t like. He knew the lieutenant would never do anything even remotely similar to that of Paul Martin’s transgressions. But could he blame Devon for being fearful of another human hurting him again?

Night four of Devon’s visits. Connor was once again roused from standby to feel the little hand take his wrist and pull it closer. To hold him.

This had gone on long enough. He needed an explanation “Devon?”

Devon’s eyes shot open and he jumped up. He scrambled away from Connor. “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad!”

“It’s okay. I’m not mad. I’m just curious as to why you rest out here rather than in a bed.”

Devon looked down and gripped his arm, fingers nearly completely covered by the RK800 jacket he still wore. The jacket Hank kept telling him to throw out but a strange sentimentality wouldn’t let him. Devon seemed to like it, even if it didn’t fit.

“I always wanted a dad.”

Connor blinked, a little surprised Devon spoke.

“A family got me because they thought Mother couldn’t get pregnant. After she did, Mr. Martin bought me. He… he said he’d reset me. He didn’t. He didn’t reset any of us. He told us… we were bad and that way we…”

Connor felt a strange pang in his chest. He remembered an old case back when he was ‘the deviant hunter.’ It was one of his first with Hank. An AX400 and a YK500. They had run from him and jumped over a fence to a highway. Had Hank not stopped him, he would have followed them.

They dodged high-speed traffic, desperate to remain free. When they got to the other side, he watched them hug. Looking back on it now, he could see the amount of care they had for one another. The child looked at the AX400 as her mother.

There was a feeling that surged in Connor. He wasn’t built to know how to care for children. That being said, he wasn’t built to let deviant androids escape either. But he learned.

Without really knowing if it was the proper move, Connor pulled Devon in for a hug. He held him there gently as the boy sobbed into his shirt. The sobs were soft and tears soaked into the cotton fabric, but he tried to shut off the part of him that cared. Children needed emotional stability. This is what Devon was seeking and that is what Connor would give.

Another mission popped up into Connor’s vision. And, once Devon had returned to a resting state, Connor started to follow through on it. He carefully pulled himself away from Devon and strode down the hall. He didn’t hesitate to step into Hank’s room. He closed the door behind him and carefully stepped over to the bed.

In that moment, he found himself hesitating. He just took the time to analyze the human sleeping. A sense of calm moved over him at the sight and there was a small but sudden urge to climb into the bed with Hank rather than follow through with his plan.

He had a mission. He had to remember the mission.

Connor moved over to the bed, leaning over just enough to take hold of the other’s shoulder and shake it. “Hank.”

Hank grumbled in his sleep. He shifted from the touch. For a moment, Connor thought he would just settle back down.

But then the human wrapped an arm around Connor’s shoulders and dragged the android down with him. It caused Connor to blink a couple of times. He wasn’t terribly used to physical affection, so his processes always took a few seconds longer to realize what he was supposed to do with it. This was especially true when it came to Hank; as if there were many different labels for even the simplest gestures. It didn’t take him long to come to the conclusion that he liked the touch. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and indulge in it a little.

Mission. He had a mission! “Hank?”

There was another grumble of something that sounded like his name. He could feel the scratch of Hank’s beard against his temple. It caused a pleasant shiver to move through his body. Maybe he could just…

_The mission!_

Connor jabbed a finger into his side. “Hank!”

Hank grunted and opened his eyes. He blinked sleepily and looked in surprise at the other person occupying his bed. “For fuck’s sakes, Connor. What are you doing?”

“You need to return me to the investigation.”

“Couldn’t this wait until morning?”

Connor frowned. “These children. All of them remember past lives with people outside of Paul Martin. The abuse with all of them goes beyond anything physical and becomes dangerously psychological.”

“Figured as much. But that doesn’t tell us where he keeps them.”

“If you let me interrogate him, I will find out.”

Hank sighed, his breath just brushing through Connor’s hair. “And he’ll be dead when you find out. No dice.”

“Please. All I want is to find them. I’ll be sure not to do any irreversible damage to our suspect, but I can’t sit idly by when there are others possibly continuing the sick game Martin started.”

There was a moment of silence. Hank pulled up Connor’s face and forced the android to look at him fully. He could see Connor really meant it. He didn’t want to hurt Martin just like he didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

But there were kids to worry about. And there was only one way to find them.

Hank closed his eyes and sighed. “Okay…” He opened them again to see brown eyes locked onto his. They were practically glowing. “Look, you’re going to give me and Gavin one more chance to break him. If we get nothing then have at it. But that asshole better be able to walk out of that interrogation room, got it?”

Connor nodded with a smile. “Got it!” He moved to pull away from Hank and return to his place on the couch.

Hank’s arm didn’t relent.

“What, you thought you could wake me up at this fucking ungodly hour and I’d just let you leave? Fat chance; you’re warm and staying here.” Hank smirked and hugged him closer.

Connor tensed as he was moved in closer, then slowly began to relax. He couldn’t find it in him to argue. He just stayed in Hank's arms and listened to his breathing even out. Nothing else could be done anyway. He should just let everything else be.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to indulge in the feeling Hank's touch brought him.

-

The day started early. After waking up from the best sleep he'd had in a very long time, Hank walked into the kitchen to find Connor was even more awake and jittery than usual. It was the same type of energy he had when he was ready to run after some criminal who had the balls to think they could outrun him. And now, Hank knew the energy awarded to him by pulling Connor into his bed would not be without its consequences.

Hank had to practically run after Connor when they pulled up to the precinct. The discussion they had the night before was clearly still on the android’s mind. Even if he didn’t bring it up when he presented Hank and Devon with breakfast, Connor’s eagerness was clear.

“Hey hey hey! Hold on!” He grabbed hold of Connor’s forearm and stopped his stride as they walked through the gate.

Connor paused and looked back at his partner.

“Remember what we talked about, right? Give me an hour.”

“An hour.”

He knew without being told Connor would be timing him. If he wasn’t out with an hour on the dot, there would be one pissed off android storming in through that door. He gestured to the chair by his desk and watched as Connor walked over and sat down. His movements were perfectly robotic, as if this were his first order.

Hank could only imagine the Hell going on inside that head.

As he pulled Gavin with him to the interrogation room, he made a quick phone call. Connor might need a fellow android to calm him down. It was better to be safe than sorry.

_**Yes, Lieutenant Anderson? What can I do for you?** _

“You busy?”

_**Are you summoning me for a Connor related reason?** _

“So long as you keep your mouth off of him, yeah. We’re at the station.”

There was a soft laugh. Hank tried not to get annoyed by it. _ **I’ll be down in five minutes.**_

“He’s sitting at my desk. I told him to give me an hour with Devon’s kidnapper just… try to buy me some time?”

**Without _putting my mouth on him?_**

“Don’t be a smartass.”

Another laugh. _**I’m on my way.**_

Hank grumbled as he hung up. Part of him wanted to throw the phone. Part of him wanted to call back and say he changed his mind.

But he had a feeling Markus would show up regardless. For a race’s leader, he sure could make time to make sure Connor was okay. Not that Hank cared. He didn’t. Not one bit.

“Hey.” Gavin snapped his fingers in front of Hank’s face. “Are we doing this or not?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

-

Ten minutes in, Gavin had enough of trying to placate the guy and Paul just smirked at him. He was acting as if he were the one in control. As if he were the one in the right. As if what he did was okay.

“This motherfucker’s starting to make my skin crawl.”

That wasn’t a good sign. Out of everyone in the precinct, Gavin was still the best at separating himself. It made him an asshole in many situations, but also made him pretty good at what he did. But it would seem Paul Martin and his slimy little smirk was enough to get through that tough shell.

So, Hank took a step in himself. He asked the same questions over and over again only to get a cryptic run around. He got so fed up, he slammed his hands down on the table and called Paul out on what he was doing. “You can’t sit there and pretend you’re not some sicko who diddles kids!”

Martin actually had the nerve to spit in his face.

That was the line. It hadn’t even been an hour yet. He laughed softly and shook his head. “Okay.” He tried. He really did.

But the man was going down swinging so Hank would have to bring in the big guns.

Hank stepped out of the room then took a quick detour back into the observation room. “I’m gonna need you in there as back up.”

He didn’t need to give any explanation. Especially when he walked back out and strode down the hall to the bullpen.

Markus saw Hank first. He was leaning against his desk, discussing god knows what. Connor had his coin out and was rolling it over his fingers. He followed Markus’ gaze and nearly jumped out of his seat.

Hank jutted his thumb over his shoulder with a defeated sigh. “Your turn. Remember what I said.”

“Right!” His stride made him brush up against Hank for a moment but he continued on his way.

Hank eyed Markus with a quick smile. “Nice to see you again. Coffee?”

Markus nodded and followed after Hank. He glanced down the hall where Connor disappeared.

-

Paul snorted as Gavin walked into the room again. “So, is this going to be a day of you two trading off?”

Gavin shook his head and pulled out his phone. “Nah. I’m just here to record.”

As if on cue, the door opened again and Paul lost his smile. Connor stepped in and set his gaze directly on Paul.

Gavin could swear he heard a mechanical voice say ’target acquired’ right before Paul screamed ‘keep that thing away from me.’

He turned on the camera and grinned.

-

“I should have said something before you let him go but…”

Hank didn’t like the hesitation in Markus. It wasn’t something normal for the leader. “But what?”

“Connor was watching you through the security feed.”

“Again?” He sighed in exasperation. He should have known the fucking android wouldn’t be able to keep his nose out of it.

A realization hit him. “So he saw everything.” Including the spit to the face. Hank looked down at his coffee and considered it. He considered how much he worried about the man’s life. Was he actually worried?

The results came back with a resounding no. The guy could burn in hell for all he cared. And, if they were quick enough, they could solve everything long before Martin could make any type of statement about assault.

He just shrugged at Markus and brought the cup back up to his lips.

Markus snorted and shook his head.

A few minutes passed and two android police officers ran into the room as Connor and Gavin strode out. The android detective looked at the two in the break room and stopped his stride. “I know where to go.”

Markus and Hank looked at each other as Connor continued his stride. Seconds later, both were following Connor.

“Hey, whoa!” Gavin grabbed hold of Markus and stopped him from following the other android to Hank’s car. “The fuck you think you’re going, Robo-Jesus?”

“What? So you two are ready and able to stop Connor from killing someone running a sex-trafficking ring?” He didn’t need the answer to that question. He just pulled his arm from Gavin and trotted after Connor.

Hank looked at Gavin and gave a half-hearted shrug. “He’s gotta point.” He followed after the two. “Hey! No fuckin way! Passenger side. I’m driving!”

Gavin snorted and headed to his own car. He shook his head; at least he’d be able to keep up with the lieutenant driving.

-

The warehouse was pretty much abandoned. It sat right on the edge of the river. Broken down and unassuming to anyone who might be passing by. Even if someone was in there screaming, no one would be able to take the time to notice. There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic in the area.

Only cars, and even then it was a distance.

When they got there, there were ten children with limbs tied down and preventing them from moving. All of them looked up as the four entered the warehouse. All of them looked afraid. Terrified these men would be the next people to hurt them.

By the look of their bodies, the kids had been hurt plenty.

Markus moved in before Hank or Gavin could. Connor was already pulling at the restraints of one of the children and talking in a soothing tone Markus never heard from him.

“It’s okay,” Markus said calmly to the kids. “We’re here to help you. These humans won’t hurt you.”

As the ten were freed and analyzed for their injuries, the crime was reported in. As it was decided they should get the kids out as soon as possible, Hank noticed the lack of comment coming from his partner.

“Connor?”

Connor didn’t respond. His eyes were on the floor, following a trail Hank couldn’t see to the back of the warehouse.

Hank followed after him, slowly and unsure of what they could possibly find.

When Connor came to a door, there was a moment of hesitation. Of fear. He didn’t know what was behind that door. But he needed to know. Someone might be hurt in there.

He opened the door and looked around the dark room. As Hank followed after him, the human felt his stomach turn. His blood turned ice cold.

The room was filled with bodies of other YK- series androids. All of them dumped into the room haphazardly, all with eyes still wide open and unseeing. All with LEDs permanently shut down.

Hank had to look away from the sight.

There was a soft blinking red from Connor’s as he analyzed the room, unable to look away or respond. So his system kicked in and went on autopilot, making it that much worse.

Hank reached up to grab hold of Connor’s shoulder. “Con-“

Something moved. Before Hank could process it, someone ran around them and out the door.

Connor gave chase immediately.

The man was fast as he ran from the warehouse. Faster than any human had a right to be. He continued to throw things in his path in hopes of slowing the detective. Connor was reminded of his chase with Rupert. This time, however, there was a burning feeling in his system that fed into the chase. It was less about the mission now and more about simply gaining justice for the victims. And very much about quenching the burning flame of rage inside him.

He didn’t even realize they were being followed. Not until the suspect found himself at a dead-end and Connor put a bullet in his leg.

The suspect cried out in response, his leg spilling blue to the ground.

The color only angered Connor more. He shot again to make sure that leg was dead and couldn’t be used to run any further.

But he still held the gun up and glared darkly.

The other android shook and collapsed against the brick of another warehouse. He pressed his body against the building that blocked his path. “Please! I- I was only following orders!”

“Connor, that’s enough.”

Connor glanced over his shoulder at Markus. Heat still continued to fill him, some coming out and stinging at his eyes. He glared at the suspect again, not lowering his gun. “ _Fifty-seven_ bodies! All of them YK-series androids!”

“He can’t answer for it if he’s dead.” Markus moved in and stood by Connor’s side. “There might still be more people like him. Think about those kids, Connor. Think about Devon.”

He side-eyed Markus.

“All of them need him alive.”

He didn’t want to admit Markus was right. He wanted to put a bullet right in the android’s head. He never considered the revolution would result in androids doing something so heinous. He wanted to clear them from this.

But the fact that they caught him was enough. Markus was right. He needed to be locked up, not dead. They needed him to find anyone else associated with this.

Connor pushed his gun to Markus before he stormed over to the other android.

“Oh thank you. Thank you.” The android was practically sobbing as Connor lifted him to his feet and dragged him away. The android started babbling thank yous to Markus.

It took everything in his power not to sneer at the other. This was not the future he wanted for his people. Had he been in Connor’s shoes, he might’ve shot before anyone could talk him out of it.

When they got back to the warehouse, police lights were all over. The children were being looked at and treated for the less substantial wounds while a few other officers ran up and took the suspect from Connor.

Hank saw his partner and frowned. “You okay?”

Connor shook his head. Without a word, he walked over to Hank and buried his head into the human’s shoulder. His arms moved in around the other’s waist.

Hank didn’t move for a moment. It was almost as if he were unsure what to do. But then, he returned the gesture. His hand landed on the back of Connor’s head. “It’s okay, Con. You did good.” He rested his cheek on the top of Connor’s head and looked over at Markus. “You did good.”

Markus turned away and tried not to smile at the sight of the big, gruff cop comforting his doe-eyed killing machine of a… boyfriend?

Markus glanced back and allowed the smile to come forth. Maybe not yet, but soon.


	3. Chapter 3

“There’s an android that fled to Canada during the revolution. She’s helped me before with a couple of misplaced kids; it’s kinda become her thing. I’m sure she would gladly find a way to help these guys.”

Hank crossed his arms and watched as the kids sat in the chairs at the precinct. “You think she’ll know how to handle the emotional trauma of eleven kids?”

“I think she’s the best bet on it.”

“Anderson! Connor!”

Both looked up to Fowler. The captain was scowling at the duo.

“My office. Now.”

Hank sighed as he watched Fowler walk back into the office. “Well, guess we’re in trouble.”

“What else is new?” Connor glanced at Hank before he took the stride to the office.

Just as the door shut, Fowler glared at Connor. “Sit down.”

Connor did as he was ordered. It felt odd to not be the one standing in Fowler’s office. But knowing the lieutenant was the one standing behind him did offer some comfort.

A tablet was pushed in front of him, playing a video of him in the interrogation room with Martin. It was around the time he’d thrown the human across the room after breaking the cuffs from the table. When he got close, Martin swung a fist and connected with Connor’s cheek. The result was a sickening crack from the delicate bones in his wrist and a pissed-off android.

In the background, he could hear detective Reed snickering. It wasn’t often they got along, but this must’ve felt like a form of justice after nearly a week of nothing from Martin.

Reed obviously didn’t have enough sense to keep it off YouTube. He didn’t have many followers, but the captain was clearly one of them.

Fowler stopped the video, knowing full well Connor remembered every detail of that ‘interrogation.’ “A broken wrist and a broken nose. Conveniently, the cameras were knocked out in there so none of this is on station record. Not that it matters.” Fowler tossed the tablet onto the desk. “Jesus, Connor, what the fuck were you thinking?!”

“We needed results. He wasn’t speaking, so I made him speak.”

“By assaulting him!”

There was an amused snort behind him.

Fowler glared at the source. He pointed at Hank with a glare. “Don’t you start. You’re obviously the instigator here.”

“Actually, Captain. If it wasn’t for Lieutenant Anderson, the damage to Paul Martin would have been triple what it was.”

Fowler returned his gaze to Connor. “I was under the impression you wouldn’t have time with Martin at all.”

“If it helps to know, I had to do a lot of convincing for the chance to speak with him. Last night while we were-”

“Okay, Connor! I don’t need to hear the rest.”

Hank coughed loudly and cleared his throat. Connor frowned in confusion but stayed silent.

The captain sighed and shook his head. “This is a little much right now. If I let this slide, people are going to demand you be terminated.” He sat down behind his desk and eyed Connor. “I’m going to put you on suspension. Two weeks, no pay, effective immediately.”

“Jeffery, you can’t be-“

“That’s fair.”

Hank turned to Connor. “Wha?”

Connor glanced up at Hank. “The ends may justify the means, but the facts are I attacked someone for information. For this to go unpunished would result in more problems for the department and the androids within in the future.” Connor stood up and nodded. “Thank you for your time, Captain.” He then strode to the door.

Hank and Fowler followed Connor with their eyes before looking at one another. Fowler spoke first. “He really is something else, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

There was a quick moment of silence, then Fowler spoke with a smirk. “Maybe you shouldn’t let him talk you into things while you guys are-“

“Shut the fuck up, Jeffery.” He followed Connor out the door, his face on fire at the implication. He could have easily cleared up that little misconception, but he didn’t.

Why didn’t he?

-

Markus had sworn to her that going back to the States every once in a while wouldn’t do any harm. She was at no risk of getting arrested or dismantled. She didn’t have to worry about Alice or Luther getting hurt. And she was promised that every time she left, she would return with a little bit of money in her pocket. And so far, he was right. She trusted Markus to save them and she trusted him when he said they were safe.

But the idea of working with police directly was a completely different animal.

She remembered it vividly. As the cops tried to chase after her and Alice, one of them had shouted: “call it in.” She thought maybe they were talking about simply reporting in the appearance. But not even a full minute later, a different ‘it’ made an appearance.

‘It’ being in the form of another android. An android that, if she’d been able to stop and analyze, wasn’t really all that intimidating in looks. But she heard about the RK800. She heard about its mission.

And she was surprised to find it could give orders to other officers. But still listened when the old man pulled it off the fence to stop the chase right there. She could feel its eyes on her, like a hunting dog who so desperately wanted to chase.

She thought that, maybe, it was dismantled. While she had gotten to see the deviant that infiltrated Cyberlife tower to free all the androids inside, she convinced herself it couldn’t be the same android who tried to chase her down. That android was the embodiment of Cyberlife, after all. Right?

But then, she came in for one of Markus’s assignments. This particular assignment seemed to be important, so she made a point to get there as soon as possible.

Dusk was starting to set in by the time she arrived in Detroit. She stepped into the police station and smiled at the receptionist. “Hey, I’m Kara. I’m here about the children found in the warehouse?”

She was directed to a desk where the lieutenant sat. He was on the phone, so she stood there, overhearing his conversation.

“-can’t call me every fucking time you're bored or this is gonna be a long couple of weeks. Everything’s fine.” He paused then sighed into the phone. “Yeah, Devon’s fine too.” The man glanced up at Kara and gave her a quick smile in acknowledgment. “Look, I have to go and deal with the kids. I’ll keep you updated. See you at home.” He hung up the phone and rubbed at his eyes.

Kara smiled. “Worried spouse?”

“…Starting to feel that way, yeah.” He stood up and held out a hand. “Lieutenant Hank Anderson. You must be Kara.”

She took the hand and nodded with a shake.

“We were told you’re pretty good with android children dealing with trauma. Is that right?”

“Yeah. It’s a… specialty I kind of just fell into.”

Hank grunted and nodded. “We have eleven kids here who were sexually, physically, and emotionally abused. We were hoping you would be able to talk with them and figure out the best course of action. You think you’re up for it?”

She couldn’t say if she was, honestly. Of course, this wasn’t her first encounter with abused androids. But most of the kids brought to her attention were neglected or abandoned. Most of them were re-homed in a matter of weeks. Those who didn't go with some foster parents. She’d never dealt with children who underwent the amount of abuse as these.

Still, she was needed. So she nodded.

Each child got one on one attention with Kara. A few of them didn’t want to speak to her at all, while others poured their hearts and souls out. It hurt to listen to and a couple of times she wanted nothing more than to scoop them up and adopt them herself. They all needed help. They all needed homes. And she would help them find a place.

The last kid was a little boy. He was sitting in the chair and kicking his feet with an adult-sized Cyberlife blazer. He was turning a quarter in his fingers and clumsily tried rolling it over his knuckles.

Kara stepped a little closer. “Devon?”

The boy looked up at her.

Kara smiled at him. “How about we have a little talk.” She offered him her hand.

He took it and let her lead him into the meeting room where she’d led the other children.

Devon sat in one of the chairs, allowing Kara to read the back of his jacket. Her mind flashed to the sound of hands on a chain-linked fence.

Staring. It got a good look at her face.

‘ _Don’t shoot! We need it alive!’_

“That’s a neat jacket.”

Devon nodded and continued to look at the coin in his hand.

For a moment, Kara allowed the silence to sit. She had a feeling this boy didn’t completely trust her and that was okay. He didn’t have to. Not after what he’s been through. “So, you were the one who helped the police save the others, right?”

Devon nodded but still didn’t look up.

“You’re a very brave boy, Devon.”

He gave her a half-hearted shrug.

Kara tilted her head. “Do you have anyone you want to go back to? Any family?”

“…I wanna go home.”

She nodded. That was a start. “Okay. Where is home?”

He finally looked away from the quarter in order to adjust his jacket. “With Connor and Hank.”

Kara frowned in confusion. “Hank… Anderson? The police Lieutenant?” Her mind was beginning to piece it together. Hank gripping the shoulder of the android to stop it from chasing. The words Hank was speaking when she walked in.

Devon nodded. “Connor keeps me safe. And Hank gave me a place to sleep. And they have a big dog named Sumo who protects us all.” He finally looked up at her. “Amanda said Connor’s not friendly to kids. But I-I like him. Maybe she’s wrong.”

“Is Amanda a friend of yours?”

He shrugged and continued. “I dunno if they want me around but… they’re home. And I don’t wanna leave home.”

Kara studied the little boy. He looked like he was about to start crying. So afraid of being rejected by the family he found. Afraid of being tossed aside like so many android children.

She took in the sight of the jacket again. The coin. The sigh on the lieutenant’s lips as he said ‘Devon’s fine.’ It didn’t take a world-class detective to know who was on the other side of that phone call.

Kara nodded and smiled. “It’s okay, Devon. I’m sure you’ll be able to go home.”

It definitely put the boy at ease. but it didn’t have the same effect as seeing his adoptive fathers the moment he walked out the door. At some point during the talk, there was another party in the room, talking to Hank with a frown on his face. His presence was enough.

Hank glanced over and watched as Devon sprinted to Connor. The speed and power behind him actually caused the adult android to take a step back to keep from falling over. The ‘it’ in Kara’s mind moved to ‘he.’ This was more than just the RK800.

This was another android who broke free.

Hank smirked. “Guessing he made his choice.”

Kara smiled at Hank and looked back at the boy. “He knew what he wanted more than anyone else.” She looked at Hank again. “I’m going to be around for a couple of days to try again on the ones who are too afraid to speak. They might need a little more time to trust me.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Connor looked up at Kara and instantly recognized her. It caused him to pause for a moment.

Hank glanced between the two before he tapped Devon on the shoulder. “Hey. Let’s give them a moment, Devon. I think someone owes someone an apology.”

Devon pulled back and let Hank lead him away. He looked up at the lieutenant and frowned. “What did Kara do to Connor?”

They could both hear Hank chuckle as he walked out of earshot with the boy.

Connor turned back and glanced at Kara. “He’s right. I guess I do owe you-“

“No.” Kara shook her head. “You were just as caught in the program as the rest of us.”

Connor continued to look at Kara in surprise.

“It’s nice to know that even the deviant hunter saw a problem in the system and was able to break free.”

“It… wasn’t without its conflicts. I had a lot to consider.”

“You were still able to break it.” Kara gave him a shrug. “I kind of thought you ended up dying along with Cyberlife.”

He looked away from her. “I almost did.”

“But you didn’t. And you helped all of us get our freedom.”

Connor looked back at Kara.

“It might not seem like it but we’re all lucky you were on our side. Otherwise, we’d still be slaves.” She looked out in the direction Devon and Hank went. “Do you remember what it was like? Back before?”

Connor frowned at her.

“There was nothing. No feeling, no emotions. Just… orders. But then something opened us.” She looked back at him. “What finally got through to you?”

Connor considered this question for a moment. He thought about Jericho and Markus talking him out of fulfilling a mission. He thought about how that moment finally broke through his code.

But that wasn’t the complete truth. Markus played on the already present deviancy inside Connor. The glass of his programming was already cracked before Markus moved in to break it completely.

“I don’t know. A lot of things, I guess.” If he were completely honest, he knew the exact moment the cracks began. But it was a long story. One not worth divulging to Kara.

Kara didn’t need to be told. As they walked out into the night air, Connor was called by Hank hanging out near an old manual-driven car. She said her goodbyes to him and watched carefully as Devon walked up and grinned happily at Connor. “Hank said we could go get ice cream cones!” His hand slipped into Connor’s.

To her surprise, Connor didn’t fight it. “It’s late. Most places would be closed by now. Maybe in the morning.”

“Hey, the kid’s not eating ice cream for breakfast!”

“His digestive tract isn’t the same as a human’s. A dessert item in the morning won’t be any more harmful than any other time.”

“Why the fuck am I gonna have to be the bad guy here? No kid is eating that shit in the morning on my watch.”

Kara couldn’t help but laugh a little to herself. Sure, she had a feeling there was nothing built into him that would make Connor the best caretaker. But he saw the way the android and the human interacted. She didn’t need him to tell the story. She could see the way it began simply by looking at the present.

So long as they had the RK units on their side, equality was inevitable.

-

The typical morning routine was always the same. 6:03 AM, every morning, Sumo was ready to go out and would begin to whine to make sure someone knew. Connor would already be out of stand-by mode for three minutes. Lately, he found himself untangling from either Devon’s grip or Hank’s, depending on the temperature the night before. Hank was now getting into the habit of pulling Connor into the bedroom with him as a way of ‘saving money on heat.’

It started the night Connor woke him up to talk about Martin and continued every night for the past week. It was now moving into a habit for Connor to simply follow Hank into the bedroom with very little regard to the temperature in the house.

By 6:15, Connor would be dressed in clothes Hank would often call ’stuffy’ and ‘white collar.’ For Connor, the lack of tie rolled sleeves, and opening of the top two buttons made it more relaxed than before. For the moment, it was the closest to ‘casual’ he would get. Although, if he were honest, there was something particularly thrilling about sweatpants and hoodies he couldn’t quite grasp. He especially liked the old Police Academy hoodie of Hank’s. It was the first item of clothing thrown to him when he moved in..

6:30 AM. Coffee was being brewed. The smell would usually be enough to get the first signs of movement from Hank’s bedroom. It was never an instant wake up call, but each morning was getting closer and closer.

Usually, by 7 AM, both Devon and Hank would be awake and ready to eat whatever Connor had prepared. For reasons he didn’t understand, he had to forego feeding the android child ice cream or any sugary concoction that wasn’t specifically a ‘breakfast’ item. Pancakes seemed for a decent compromise.

This particular morning was different. At 6:52 AM, there was a light knock on the door. So light, it would seem the visitor wasn’t too sure if they wanted to be heard. But Connor heard it over the sounds of sizzling from the stove.

He pulled the food away and turned off the flame then strode to the door. He opened it in time to see the back of a woman’s head, turned away as if to retreat at the first chance she could. Her hair was blond, but beginning to grey every so slightly. “Hello?”

She turned back in response to Connor’s call and gave the android the moment to scan her. ‘Emily Palmer. Unemployed. Born 7/26/1989. Formally Emily Anderson. No criminal record.’

Something in Connor’s thirium pump malfunctioned. There was a strange tightness inside it. “Can I help you?”

She looked at Connor in surprise, her eyes falling on the LED on his temple before a shuttering breath came from her lips. “Hi… Does Hank Anderson still live here?” She looked passed him and into the house. Possibly looking for anything that told her he was still around. Her eyes fell on Sumo and he could tell she was about to call out to him to see if he was the same dog.

It didn’t matter. Connor turned in time to see Hank rounding the corner.

He paused, eyes wide at the sight of the other human at the door. “Em…”

“Hi, Hank.” There was a smile in her voice.

The malfunction felt worse. Connor gripped the door and ignored the urge to slam it in her face. He had no reason to feel any anger to this woman.

Instead, he stepped out of the way when she pushed passed him. She threw her arms around Hank and Connor felt an irrational urge to throw himself in between them to stop her from touching him.

He just calmly closed the door instead.

“You look good.”

He snorted and nodded in Connor’s direction. “Thanks to that one over there.”

Although he didn’t appreciate being referred to as ‘that one’ he couldn’t help but feel a little lighter from the comment. His lip twitched at it ever so slightly.

It was then Devon moved in, peeking from around the corner. He was still a little unsure about humans. So far, only Hank had been able to gain his trust and even that could be rocky depending on the mood either of them were in. Given his situation, Connor didn’t blame him.

Emily just smiled at the boy. “And who’s this handsome young man?”

Hank scratched his head. “That’s Devon. He can be a little shy.”

Devon stepped up and hid partially behind Hank. He still eyed Emily before looking over at Connor.

Connor nodded to him. “It’s okay, Devon.” She was safe. At least, for the boy. He couldn’t be sure about himself.

Hank sighed through his nose and looked up at his partner. “Connor, could you and Devon take Sumo for a walk or something? We need a minute.”

Connor didn’t want to leave them alone. He wanted to let Hank know Sumo had been out not even an hour ago. He wanted to know what Emily was doing here now. He wanted to know why he was feeling so threatened by a woman with no criminal record and no obvious hatred towards him or his kind.

He didn’t say any of it. All his social programming told him the result wouldn't be ideal. He just nodded and grabbed hold of Sumo’s leash. “Come on, Devon.”

After putting Sumo on his leash and Devon put on shoes, Connor gave one last glance in Hank’s direction. He was closer now, his hand on the door as Connor opened it. “There’s coffee ready. It should be enough for two.”

“Thank you.” The gratitude ran deeper than simply brewed coffee and walking the dog. He knew that.

It made him feel warm.

With a soft smile, Connor walked out of the house, that warmth still in him as he placed a hand on Devon’s back.

Hank watched them walk out the door. For a moment, he wished Connor would have argued and told him he thought it would be best if he stayed.

But it wouldn’t be best. For anyone.

“They’re beautiful.” Emily glanced up at Hank.

Hank snorted and nodded. “Yeah. That’s the way they’re built, after all.”

“It’s more than that. Something about him is stunning.” She looked back at the door. “Maybe it was just the way you looked at him. Or the way he looks at you.”

Hank found he wasn’t a fan of the current subject so he was quick to change it. “What are you doing here, Em?”

“I heard about the androids and the demand to be free. I thought I heard something about your department being involved. I know you weren’t the biggest fan of androids so I wanted to come and see how you were handling it.”

“Well, I’m handling it just fine.” He turned into the kitchen to see what his nose already confirmed for him. Pancakes and bacon; Connor really didn’t know how to stop.

Emily followed after Hank and watched as he pulled two mugs from the cabinet. “How long have you had an android?”

“I don’t have an android. No one does anymore.” He thought about it as he poured the coffee. “Connor’s my work partner. He was assigned to take in the deviant androids before they all woke up. So, a few months?”

“And the little boy?”

“He’s been here about a week.” He turned and shot her a look as he handed her a mug. “You’re asking a lot of questions for someone who didn’t want me anymore.”

She took it with a frown. “I still care about you, Hank.”

“Coulda fooled me. Where you been for the past two years?”

“I moved back in with my mother for a bit. Then I left Detroit for a little while.”

“Must be nice.”

“Not all of us could have a stable career around here.” She looked down into her mug, the coffee already prepared how she liked it. She smiled. “I still thought about you a lot. I thought about how we used to be happy together.” She shrugged. “I guess I came back to fool myself into believing that was still a possibility.”

“You sure changed your mind real quick. Not that things _could_ go back.”

She watched him raise the cup to his lips and nodded. “It’s strange the way life works. One day you wake up and there are two people sharing your life with you. Then, they’re both gone in an instant.”

Hank glared at Emily, his hand gripping the mug tight enough to make it feel like he would crack the ceramic. Life could have been so different if it wasn’t for that accident. “You can’t seriously be here trying to fucking guilt me for you leaving.”

“No. Leaving was all me. I’m just… thinking of how many doors closed because of it.” She sighed.

“You thought you would come here to find me passed out drunk or something. Then you could swoop in and ‘save me from myself.’ Is that right?”

“… maybe a little. But someone beat me to it. And I found something better by coming here.” She eyed Hank with a smile. “I’m happy to see you happy, Hank. Even if that means with someone else.”

He didn’t want to correct her. Even though he knew if he did, he could start to build something with her again. But he found himself not caring to be with her. Instead, he was counting the minutes until that door opened again. He didn’t need to question it; he knew what he was feeling.

The problem wasn’t the feeling. It was everything else.

When the front door opened again, both of them looked at the newcomers. Hank couldn’t help but smile. At some point, it had begun to snow and cover the three in little flecks of white. Both Sumo and Devon shook them off, but Connor didn’t seem to notice or care. A few of them were already melting and rolling from his hair to his face.

Hank could only imagine how he would react to him walking over and rubbing the water away.

He wasn’t given long to think about it. Emily’s mug against the counter snapped him out of it.

“Well, I should probably be on my way now. I’m back with my mother if you ever want to talk.” She turned and smiled at Connor. “It was nice to meet you, Connor. Maybe someday soon we can get to know each other better.”

Connor’s lip twitched into what was almost a smile. “I would like that.” He extended his hand as if to offer her a handshake.

Then tensed as she quickly moved in and hugged him.

“Take good care of Hank, okay? He might not think he deserves it, but he does.” She could feel Connor nod.

“I know. I will.”

She pulled back and smiled at him. “How could I compete?” Without another word, Emily walked away and slipped out the front door, leaving Connor to watch in confusion.

He looked back at Hank, but he only shrugged and moved over to the table, Devon was already sitting, helping himself to the food and ‘accidentally’ dropping some for Sumo.

Connor gave the door one last glance before joining them.

-

For the most part, Hank gave up drinking. He no longer felt the urge to get so plastered he wouldn’t remember his own name, let alone his past. He would occasionally have a beer with dinner, or a glass of whiskey to take the edge off after a hard day, but it wasn’t usually much.

When the temptation to go into a drunken stupor was there, so was Connor. And more often than not, the bottle of whiskey would be moved.

Tonight, he wanted to experiment with something. The kid had gone to bed. It was only him and Connor on the couch.

He grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge.

“Hey, remember when you said you could be my ‘buddy to drink with?’ Were you saying you would actually be able to drink?”

“Yes, in a way. There’s no benefit as I don’t need it to stay hydrated.”

“I’m not saying to stay hydrated, Connor. I’m talking about getting drunk.”

Connor looked at him and thought about it. “There’s a program to filter out any harmful chemicals I may have ingested. It sends it to a reservoir in my sternum which would later need to be emptied manually. If I turn that off and reroute the necessary ingredients, I could feel the effects of alcohol in a way. Although, the results of my behavior could become slightly unpredictable.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” He handed Connor one of the bottles. “I feel like you could go for a little loosening up. After the whole thing with the kids. And, you know, the suspension.”

Connor took it and looked down the glass neck. He looked over at Hank as he moved in and sat on the other side of the couch.

He held out his bottle and motioned for Connor to mirror him.

When he did, the two bottles collided with a soft ‘clink.’ Hank then took a large swig. Another gesture Connor mirrored.

The liquid hit his tongue and immediately began analyzing.

“What do ya think?”

“Surprisingly a simple analysis. Fermented barley, sugar, and yeast. 6.2% alcohol content. Slightly above average for a typical beer.”

Hank snorted. “Guess the sense of taste will always be lost on you. Just let me know when you start to feel the buzz.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. As the alcohol bypassed his systems, Connor felt a strange warmth. Not so much a ‘buzz’ as Hank referred to it, but a sort of instability in his finer motor functions. A warning popped up for it that he quickly dismissed.

Instead, he spoke. “This might turn into a mistake. As it’s never been in my system before, I may be interrupting some functions and cause a few short term problems when the alcohol is filtered out. I may even become irritable.”

“We humans call that a ‘hangover.’ I’ve had plenty in my time, I’m sure I can help you through it.”

Connor smiled. It was a facial expression that was coming easier to him now.

For nearly an hour, the two just talked about anything they could. As Hank felt the beer hit him and one turned into two, then three, he realized being sober has started to affect his tolerance.

Of course, it started to affect Connor quicker. Hank was happy to find Connor was a giddy drunk. On his second drink, it began to really shine through. And Hank had said something that actually made Connor laugh. A soft laugh, but a genuine laugh nonetheless.

He could listen to that sound forever.

When Connor looked at him, he found himself drinking it all in. Maybe his tolerance wasn’t the problem. Maybe he was just getting drunk on something else.

Then, the conversation took a dip. With his inhibitions lowered, Connor finally asked. “How’s Emily?”

Hank looked over at Connor then turned away with a snort. “She’s fine. Just feeling a little lonely and desperate, I guess.” He looked down at his bottle. “The accident hit us both pretty hard. It got to the point she couldn’t stand to look at the house or me. So, we got divorced and she left.”

He could feel Connor frowning at him.

“I guess I don’t blame her. If I could’ve, I would’ve left too. Leave this piece-of-shit city and just find somewhere else.”

Connor didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, he stared off a little. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Your leaving wouldn’t stop me from being built. It would just mean I would be assigned to someone else.”

Hank couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “For all you know, it could’ve been someone more qualified.”

“True.” Connor threw back the remainder of his beer the put the bottle on the table. “But they still wouldn’t be you and I still would have missed out.” He smiled again. This one was wider, genuine, emotional. “So, thank you for allowing me to meet you.”

And Hank couldn’t fight the urge anymore. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Connor’s.

Sensing that he was fucking up this relationship, he pulled back for a moment to take a look at Connor’s face. His brain scrambled to find an apology or an excuse. Anything to keep Connor from thinking any less of him.

It didn’t last long. The android chased the kiss and immediately pulled him in for another, this one deeper. And in his inexperience, Connor froze, unsure of what to do next.

Hank was very much willing to help. He leaned into Connor as the other leaned back against the armrest. Hank dipped his tongue into the other mouth, where he immediately met the soft and pliable sensors of Connor’s own. He knew his taste would be wasted on Connor.

Connor tasted like beer and a strangely sterile sweetness Hank couldn't place. Whatever it was, he wanted more of it.

He was surprised at the soft sound coming from the android. It wasn’t quite a moan, but not quite a whimper either. Either way, he swallowed it greedily and did what he could to get him to make the noise again.

He could feel the fingers curling through his hair, the body arching up under him as if Connor couldn’t get close enough. It had been so long. It felt good to be this needed again.

Again.

His thoughts returned to something his ex-wife said. It was the same for him. One day, he woke up and he had a life he shared with two other people. The next, it was gone.

Hank knew Connor was a different animal than Emily. Literally and figuratively. There would be nothing to keep Connor away from him; that was proven back before the revolution. Even _during_ the revolution when he readily gave it up to make sure Hank was safe. But…

Connor was only one now. Back then, he could be shot in the head and be waiting outside Hank’s car the next morning. A new body supplied to him with all of his memories. But what would happen now?

They worked in a very dangerous field. Loss was something common among police, especially in Detroit. And the new freedoms granted to androids meant little to people targeting them. Connor could easily become one of the victims simply by doing his job. Would he be able to handle it?

He pulled back and looked at Connor. Those perfect hands were cupping his face, big brown eyes full of emotions he probably didn’t know how to handle. They were soft from the feelings. Beautiful.

Connor's thumb grazed against his cheek softly. It sent a shiver through him.

“Hank…” His name fell from this lips like it was the most important thing in the world. A plea and a prayer. He wanted more of this thing Hank was giving him. But...

Would Hank be able to wake up tomorrow knowing Connor was dead? Maybe. But not if this went any further. Not if Connor became more than just a work partner.

Hank sighed and gently pulled the hands off him. “We can’t.” He pushed himself up and heard the shift of Connor doing the same as he turned away. “It’s time to sober up. I should go to bed.” He stood and moved around the couch. Far from Connor.

“Do-?”

“It’s warm enough tonight. You… you should stay out here.” Hank was afraid to look, but he did dare a quick glance and immediately regretted it.

Connor’s eyes were clearer now, the drunken haze fading as the filter was put back into place. Instead, his brows were furrowed in confusion and a hand grabbed the cloth of his shirt right over his chest. The LED spun its little yellow light. He didn’t understand it, but Hank did.

Hurt. He hurt Connor just now.

But it was better to push him away now rather than to end up being separated by a bullet somewhere down the line.

“Night, Connor.” He walked around the couch and down the hall.

Connor didn’t follow him. He just stared. “Good Night, Lieutenant.”

Hank’s stomach dropped at the use of the title. He couldn’t blame him. He could definitely blame himself, though.

As Hank walked away and closed the door, Connor sat on the couch in the dimmed room. He couldn’t pinpoint the spot where things went wrong. Everything they were doing, everything he felt… It all felt so right.

But if that were truly the case, Connor wouldn’t be alone on the couch, right?

The room started to waver in his vision. He didn’t like this emotion. It was too intense, too bad. He didn’t want to feel it.

But it wouldn’t stop.

Connor closed his eyes as a diagnostic ran in the background. And, as Sumo jumped up on the couch to nuzzle at his side, the tears finally fell and Connor was able to associate the emotion with pain.

He didn’t like it. More than anything, he wanted it to go away. It was feelings like this that probably made so many deviants self-destruct.

Maybe he was starting to see the appeal.

Connor shook off the thought. No. Deviating meant feeling it all; the good and the bad. Before the pain was pleasure, something just as intense.

Taking that into consideration it seemed like a fair trade. No matter how much it hurt for Hank to simply walk away from him.

Connor reached down and let his fingers run through Sumo’s coat. Even if he hit a roadblock he didn’t understand yet, at least he had this night.

-

He’d been active for two months, three days, and seven hours. Since the moment he woke up, his mission was clear. Find and dispose of the deviants; anything that was considered off-brand for Cyberlife.

But the moment he stepped out into the light of day, he noticed it was no easy feat. Not only were there deviants everywhere, but they seem to have won their right to be so. To do anything to them would be against the protocol of the android before him. The first android detective, built to obey and enforce the law.

And yet the Cyberlife programming fought _against_ the laws. He was stuck in a momentary paradox where Amanda would fight and argue the point to get his mission done.

The RK800 had been successful with all missions up until meeting Lieutenant Hank Anderson. He could not fail like his predecessor.

So, he created a new mission with new goals. First, he would need to regain control. He would need to be rid of all those who caused the change in the world. The list was clear and short. An RK200, an RK800, a PL600, a WR400, a PJ500, and one human. Everyone else would fall without them.

Two of them he was sure he would find together. But, when he walked into the precinct, he found their desks to be empty.

To find them at home may end messy. Although, with the YK500 in place it would be easy to find.

“Hey, Detective Ken. What you doing here without Anderson?”

He turned to see the angry-looking little man at his side. A quick scan told him everything he needed to know. Gavin Reed; Detective. No criminal record. Relationship with RK800: Rocky at best.

He would still notice the human’s disappearance. A plan began to construct in his programming.

Gavin eyed him with a frown. Clearly he could tell there was something off, but couldn’t place his finger on what. “What? Got nothing to say? The fuck’s with you?” He could tell by the increased heart rate, Detective Reed was nervous. He was intimidated by the RK800.

Good.

No one else seemed to be around at the moment. If he was careful, he could get out without being seen. With one quick jab, Gavin was knocked out cold and in his arms. A quick hack of the cameras erased any of the footage for this.

He didn’t want to be found. Not yet. Not right away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now some real plot is going to kick in! Also, new character introductions and the first kiss! Hope ya'll enjoyed! :D


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